Home Runs in Japan

From what I hear from the players out here in Japan, many of the home runs here would not be home runs in any ball park in the States. It's easier to hit a home run apparently. It seems that this is mostly due to the construction of the ball parks here in Japan.

My research indicates from 1992-2001 that identically matched sets of players hit 1.656 times as many home runs in NPB as in the majors in the same number of at bats.

Jim Albright

Interesting! Can you explain to me with more details about your research results? How do you match the players to start your investigation?

"This is Baseball" will air your comments (if you do not have any problems).

Thanks a lot.

Luis Raul Villamizar

A description of the method can be found in this article [Link - BaseballGuru.com]

You may also be interested in these two articles on converting NPB stats to MLB equivalents: [Link1] [Link2]

Please note that the number for HR given is to convert NPB numbers to MLB ones, while the 1.6 number goes MLB to NPB.

You are free to make use of this information so long as you properly give me credit for it. If you have questions about how I did this, please contact me through baseballguru.com, with your questions, and I will try to answer them.

Jim Albright

Excellent articles. I read them, however I have to analize each work with more determination to understand the details. Congratulations!

Thanks for the kind words. I think you are wise to try and master what I've written as well as you can, but I am certainly available to help iron out the details.

Jim Albright

Once I finish your articles' readings I won't hesitate to keep in touch with you for explanations. Thanks a lot.

Luis Raul Villamizar

What is the answer about teams using their own balls during a game? I thought there was an official NPB made by Migutimi?

- I thought there was an official NPB made by Migutimi?

I think you're thinking of "Mizuno." Mizuno is far and away the most popular baseball used by the teams. Approved baseballs are provided by: Mizuno, Kubota, Zett, Asics, Nasu, and Matsukan (in no particular order). Teams are free to use balls from any of those makers.

There was recently an article in both Nikkan Sports and Shukan Baseball which tried to find why balls are flying out at such a high rate. There's a lot of jargon that I didn't understand, and need to take some time to learn before I can translate the articles with a reasonable amount of confidence. But my first impression is that the balls are being manufactured to the same specs as they have been in previous years, and with the same hanpatsu keisuu (repulsion coefficient).

I did translate the specs for balls and how they're put together at an unnamed Mizuno factory in a SABR mailing list recently. This was taken from the 2004 #25 issue of Shukan Baseball:

Spec

1. The ball must be made of cork, cow hide, and other materials.
2. The ball must be between 141.7 and 148.8 grams.
3. The ball must be between 22.9 to 23.5 cm in circumference.

Process

1. 21 mm diameter cork is wrapped with black then red rubber, twice. What comes out is divided into three grades.
2. Balls bound for NPB are wrapped with 60 grams of 100% virgin wool, while those for high school use 90% virgin wool. They are then wrapped with the same amount of a different color of wool. The length of the two threads of wool combined should be 100 meters.
3. Next comes 10 grams of cotton thread which will define the size of the ball. (High school balls are made of 6 grams cotton thread, 4 grams of polyester.)
4. The ball is dipped in an adhesive solution to bound the threads.
5. The back of domestic cows are used for the covers. While it's possible to make 160 balls per cow, only 12-13 cuts per cow hide are used in professional baseballs.
6. 220 cm long thread is then stitched through 108 holes to bind the cover on the ball.

Hope this helps to clarify some things.

The Giants lead the NPB in home runs. What ball do they use? How many of the 120+ home runs are hit at their home field?

I think the Hawks are #2 in home runs in NPB. I would ask those same questions of the Hawks.

Thanks.

I'm pretty sure the Hawks use Mizuno. I heard mention of that, and all of their other equipment is Mizuno.

Great! What an excellent information! "This is Baseball" (Radio Deporte 1590.AM, Caracas, Venezuela) will transmit your valuable research.

That used to be the theory, but I think now it's due to the ball. When Matsui was back in Japan, he felt that he could hit further with the NPB ball, not the ball park.

I guess I can see by my own question that it could be the ball, but I won't bet my weekly pacheck on it.

The Giants' Abe and Rhodes are on a pace to hit close to 100 home runs between them, which I know is not a NPB record. I believe the record is 109 home runs by two players on a team, Fielder being one, the other I think is Ochuri.

Abe was a rookie (out of high school) just two years ago. Most great players in the majors take years to blossom. It is not like he was a mediocre player for many years and suddenly became a monster -- a la when Bret Boone came to Seattle, although that discussion belongs in a steroids thread.

I am assuming you mean Giants' catcher Shinnosuke Abe, and well, he wasn't straight out of high school. He was either with the industrial leagues or a university team. But he was definitely not right out of high school. He's 25 years old, just to set the record straight.

Abe Shinnosuke went to Chuo University.

If those specs on the baseballs are accurate, then there is very little difference in the balls. Japanese baseballs weigh the same as MLB balls, but they can be larger by .04 inches.

I realize that this is an old thread, but I just need to add this.

The ball that Luis Raul Villamizar used in his game in Borburata against the Team Yelitza Cagarruta de Carpintero was a ball made in Japan using the 1994 JSA manufacturing.

Aristides, what a surprise! You contacted me trough this web site. I can't stop laughing!